An Empty Village
"No, don't..."
Cui Jianqiang wanted to object. He didn't want to cause so much trouble, but before he could stop them, his head started throbbing and his vision swam. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
His girlfriend dropped the snack wrapper in her hand and cried out in panic.
"Jianqiang! Jianqiang! Are you okay?"
She called to him twice, but he didn't respond at all.
Who could have guessed altitude sickness would hit so suddenly, without any warning?
"Pinch his philtrum!"
The voice came from the passenger seat. It was Li Bai. Although he was a psychiatrist, he knew some basic first aid.
The Renzhong Acupoint beneath the nose was one of the best ways to bring someone around in an emergency.
In the midst of the frantic commotion, Cui Jianqiang—whose philtrum was being pinched hard—slowly came to. He sucked in a sharp breath and grimaced.
His girlfriend had sharp nails. They broke the skin on his upper lip, leaving deep marks that hurt like hell.
But pinching the philtrum could only treat the symptoms of altitude sickness, not the cause. Cui Jianqiang was soon gasping again, like a fish out of water, struggling to breathe even though his lungs still weren't getting nearly enough oxygen.
Altitude sickness was mainly caused by oxygen deprivation and low air pressure, with the former being the most important factor.
"Do you have an oxygen canister?"
Li Bai scanned the corners of the vehicle.
The Highlander's driver even had a humidifier. Maybe he'd brought oxygen canisters, too—an essential for the plateau.
"Yes, yes! In the toolbox in front of you."
Driver Gao remembered as soon as Li Bai mentioned it.
He rummaged through the toolbox and found two portable oxygen canisters that looked like bug spray.
Bug spray was for